April 17, 2017 – Pro-Choice Libertarians issue “Mission statement”
After almost a year of discussions among pro-choicelibertarian activists, Pro-Choice Libertarians has issued a “Mission Statement” regarding our strategic emphasis and our strategies regarding the Republican and Libertarian parties and the media and public. It accompanies our May 2016 “Principles” statement (since updated). We encourage interested parties to read both.

January 21, 2017 – Pro-Choice Libertarians Join “Women’s March”
Various known and assumed libertarians joined the 500,000 strong post-inaugural Women’s March on Washington to argue for women’s right to control their own bodies and keep abortion legal. Doubtless more showed up at the hundreds of protests nationwide. Here are a few relevant signs:

November 9, 2016 – Bad News: Abortion Prohibition fanatics will push Trump to outlaw abortionThis article points out that in a September letter to the anti-abortion group “Susan B. Anthony List” newly elected “President” Donald J. Trump announced a “Pro-Life Coalition” and vowed to nominate abortion prohibition justices to the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade which guarantees women’s right to abortion. (He also mentioned ending defunding abortion by government, which is a libertarian position, but not one this group focuses on. Enough prohibitionists are doing that. We focus on defending women’s liberty to control their bodies from the horrific laws proposed by these prohibitionists.)

Cosmopolitan dramatically makes the case “The Impact of This Election on Abortion Access Will Be Devastating“. So all pro-choicers are going to have a fight on their hands to protect womens’ lives. Pro-choicers in the Libertarian Party probably will have to deal with an influx of anti-abortion fanatics who will play their usual dishonest and manipulative games. So we’ll be getting ready for them.

November 9, 2016 – Good News: Pro-Choicers Johnson/Weld get 4% plus of vote
According to Reason magazine “Libertarian is up at least 3x up on his 2012 results in every state, exceeding the Clinton-Trump spread in one-quarter of the country, beating Jill Stein everywhere, and ahead of ballot-access thresholds in 24 of 29 states.” Pro-choice Libertarians monitored all media mentions of Johnson/Weld and all who mentioned the issue said they were pro-choice, even if some conservatives bemoaned the fact. So that’s the good news…

August 8, 2016 – Pro-Choice Libertarians adds “Memes” page
Evidently the maker of the excellent meme, when s/he wrote “keep the government out of the bedroom” forgot to mention specifically one of the top “bedroom” issues – abortion. So we fixed that for them and are encouraging others to continue to circulate this meme, as corrected. Copy a larger version from our Memes page, one which this meme prompted us to create. It includes several memes of which the group approves.

August 2, 2016 – Pro-Choice Libertarians question name of “pro-life” libertarian group
The recently created “Pro-Life Libertarian Party Council” has a Facebook page, Youtube channel and a domain name that is not yet functional. Given its attacks on pro-choicers, it looked initially like the group was anti-choice and abortion prohibitionist. The issue was that “Pro-Life Libertarian Party Council” sounds like an official party organ. We have been concerned that if the LP allows the group to use the name, it sets a legal precedent for others starting similar groups. We might see the “Pro-Tax Libertarian Party Council” or the “Trump Supporters Libertarian Party Council”. We have contacted the national and Arizona state parties to express our view that the name should be changed to something like “caucus” that makes it clear it is not an official council of the party. (Like “LP Radical Caucus” whose name makes that clear.) Using such a name gives any group using it an unearned credibility. (Update: The group later changed its name to the “Pro-human Libertarian Party Council“.)

May 29, 2016 – Libertarian Convention Chooses Pro-Choice Presidential and VP Candidates
On May 29 the Libertarian Party national convention, meeting in Orlando, Florida, nominated former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson as its presidential candidate and former Governor William Weld as its vice-presidential candidate. Both are pro-choice, although Gary Johnson did sign a bill banning third trimester abortion while governor. Johnson’s campaign website states:

…As Governor, Johnson never advocated abortion or taxpayer funding of it. However, Gov. Johnson recognizes that the right of a woman to choose is the law of the land today, and has been for several decades. That right must be respected, and ultimately he believes this is a very personal and individual decision. He feels that each woman must be allowed to make decisions about her own health and well-being. Further, Gov. Johnson feels strongly that women seeking to exercise their legal right must not be subjected to persecution or denied access to health services by politicians in Washington or elsewhere who are insistent on politicizing such an intensely personal and serious issue…

May 28, 2016 – Libertarian Convention Votes to Keep Pro-Choice Abortion Plank in Party Platform
Since 2006 the plank has read: “Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration.”

Keeping the government out of the issue obviously is “pro-choice”. Thus abortion prohibitionists, members trying to attract their votes and people who naively think the debate will end if the platform is removed have been trying to get rid of any abortion plank for years. This year they dominated the Platform Committee. And even the LP “Radical” Caucus had leadership which made it appear the group supported removal of the plank.

During Convention debate on the platform a committee member tried to suspend the rules to get the current language replaced. He lost. There was a motion to stop discussing changing the abortion plank entirely. It passed. There were FAR more cheers than jeers.

However the vote to suspend to do it was 194 FOR and 169 AGAINST (our side). So prohibitionists, vote seekers and those fed up with discussing abortion did have a majority of delegates on the floor during that business session and only the rules saved the plank.

May 26, 2016 – Pro-Choice Libertarians prepare for national Libertarian Convention
After weeks of members promoting pro-choice arguments, in writing and via memes, in many libertarian forums, the group sent out a press release and prepared for distribution leaflets and buttons.

May 16, 2016 – Pro-Choice Libertarians Starts Twitter Page, Requests Candidates’ Views on Abortion
Pro-Choice Libertarians creates new twitter feed is here. Queries go out to Presidential and vice-presidential candidates on their positions on abortion and on the L.P. platform plank. Final version is here.

Pro-choicers discover that the Libertarian Platform committee report has recommended complete removal of the “Abortion” plank which reads: “Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration.” Others want to substitute that language for stating libertarians are opposed to government paying for abortion. The fact that two LP leading Radical Caucus members are on the platform committee and that their group statements appear to support removal of the plank are particularly alarming.

April 10, 2016 – Texas Libertarian Party creates first abortion plank and it’s pro-choice
Texans who later would become very active in Pro-choice Libertarians and at the national convention motivated this.

II.2.c. Reproductive Rights Recognizing that reproductive rights are a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, the Libertarian Party of Texas (LPTexas) believes that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration. The Libertarian Party of Texas (LPTexas) does not condone that tax dollars be spent for any such medical cost. (See platform.)